So it’s the dream of most Nollywood actors to receive even the slightest global recognition for their work.

In this case, Akindele isn’t getting credit for just any Hollywood film, she is getting it for a Marvel film. And not just any Marvel film, but one that assembles almost all the superheroes in the franchise.

So what’s the big deal about Marvel?

The grand Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise that centres on a series of superhero films based on characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The first film released in the MCU was “Iron Man” in 2008, and since then, four films in the franchise have earned over a billion dollars each at the global box office. Those films are “The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and “Captain America: Civil War.”

So Marvel movies are big deals.

Avengers Infinity War will feature the likes of Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and some Hollywood top actors.

Funke Akindele in “Avengers: Infinity War” is a big deal for actress and Nollywood as a whole

Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for over a decade and has never cast a Nigerian actress. Akindele being the first is a big deal for her career and the Nigerian film industry as a whole.

So there must have been an audition before the decision to choose and cast Akindele was made.

It’s hard to imagine this casting possible, say, 10 years ago. But now, Nollywood movies and actors are being exposed to new markets. Nollywood movies are showing in International cinemas, accepted at international film festivals, and critically received globally.

A major or waka pass role in a Marvel film is further proof that indeed, Nollywood is being recognized internationally.

Funke Akindele’s success in Nollywood

Funke Akindele is a household name in Nigeria. Her role as Bisi, a curious secondary school student in the 1998 United Nations-sponsored sitcom “I Need to Know,” is a pop culture staple.

In 2000, and 2003, the actress played minor roles in “Final Whistle” and “Sharon Stone,”respectively. While Funke Akindele tried to break into the Mainstream Nollywood, her career was established in the Yoruba Nollywood industry, with a string of impressive Yoruba movies to her name.

In 2008, she finally broke into the top tier of Nollywood stardom with her commercially successful comedy, “Jenifa,” where she acted the role of Suliat a.k.a Jenifa, a secondary school dropout who lives in a backwater town called Aiyetoro.

Funke Akindele as Jenifa in “Jenifa’s Diary”

Her smattering English and outlandish behaviour endeared her to a new set of fans including the non-Yoruba demographic.

In 2011, she took her first step into the cinematic world with “The Return of Jenifa,” a sequel to the 2008 comedy movie, and in 2015, the actress returned to TV with a spin-off TV series titled “Jenifa’s Diary,” under her production company SceneOne Productions.

In 2017, she also created a music-oriented TV series titled “Industreet.” She has featured in other successful movies such as “Maami,” “Isoken” and “Married But Living Single.”

Yeah it’s exciting and a big one that Funke Akindele would feature in Avengers come May, let’s know Sha that the role might be equivalent to Wizkids in Drake’s One Dance track…

In an era where Nigerians such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Oyelowo and John Boyega have played huge roles in blockbusters, Akindele, who is arguably the biggest Nollywood actress, deserves more than being an unnamed character in any movie.

Nevertheless, Akindele starring in “Avengers: Infinity War” – a highly-anticipated comics hit by Marvel – is a very big deal.